Last year, the March flood was a consequential day for Channel 5 News viewers, the news team and for the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service team for the Rio Grande Valley says they weren't anticipating those 20 inches of rainfall.

Channel 5 News reporter Karen Lucero recounts how she, like so many, got caught in the floodwater on that day.

Lucero said it happened along a frontage road in Weslaco. She was leaving the Channel 5 News station when she had to turn into a parking lot at a Super 8 Motel.

She said she attempted to make it onto Expressway 83 when her car stalled halfway and within minutes, water started rushing in and flooded the interior.

Lucero said what happened to her can happen to anyone in seconds.

It's something the National Weather Service says they saw that day. A storm that escalated beyond what was anticipated.

The NWS said that morning, flooding was already happening in parts of Starr County and the Lower Valley, but what followed that afternoon changed everything.

Up to 20 inches of rain poured down in some parts of the Valley.

"So, our modeling, our capability, our understanding is getting us closer, that maybe next time, down the road we'll be able to pinpoint that with better lead time, meaning 24, 30, 36 hours out," NWS Brownsville Warning Coordination Meteorologist Barry Goldsmith said.

Goldsmith says getting warnings out quicker would give people more time to prepare.

It wasn't just a historic storm, but also a learning moment.

Channel 5 News will have coverage on the March storm throughout the day. Visit our website or download our KRGV News app to stay updated.